𝓔𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓷𝓪𝓵 𝓼𝓾𝓷𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓮
ᴬᵏʷᵃʳᵈᵈᵈᵈᵈ

Elena and Mason were sitting on her bed, laughing as they watched one of their favorite romcoms.

The cozy room was filled with the soft sound of the movie and their easy banter.

As the characters on screen shared a romantic moment, Elena leaned slightly closer to Mason, feeling the magnetic pull between them that had been building for weeks.

Their shoulders brushed, and for a split second, Elena's breath caught in her throat.

She turned to look at him, eyes meeting his with a sense of anticipation.

Mason's lips curled into a smile, and without thinking, he leaned in just a little closer.

Elena did the same, their faces drawing nearer, the air between them charged with something unspoken but very real.

But just as their lips almost touched, the door suddenly swung open, and Aaron walked in with his usual dramatic flair.

"Well, well, well," Aaron said, a teasing grin spreading across his face. "What do we have here?"

Elena jumped, her heart racing. Mason quickly pulled back, his face flushing slightly as he gave Aaron a sidelong glance.

"Dude, you're seriously interrupting the best part," Mason muttered, trying to cover his embarrassment with a laugh.

Aaron raised an eyebrow and looked between them. "Looks like someone's getting cozy," he teased, his voice full of mischief. "You two finally figured it out?"

Elena felt her cheeks turn pink. She shot Aaron a playful glare. "Shut up, Aaron. It's not like that."

Aaron snorted, still grinning. "Sure it's not. Well, I'll leave you two lovebirds to it," he said with a wink, backing out of the room and closing the door behind him.

Elena let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

She turned to Mason, who was still looking at her with that same, almost unreadable expression.

Before she could say anything, there was another knock at the door, and this time it was her mom, Soli, who poked her head in.

"Elena, Mason," she said, her tone light. "Dinner's almost ready. Is Mason staying for dinner?"

Elena froze, her gaze flicking to Mason, her heart skipping a beat.

She wasn't sure why, but suddenly it felt like the world was watching them.

She cleared her throat, trying to sound casual.

"Uh, yeah, I think Mason's staying," Elena said, her voice a little too high-pitched.

She shot him a quick glance, a nervous smile tugging at her lips. "You want to stay, right?" she asked him, trying to keep her cool.

Mason looked at her for a moment, that playful grin back on his face. "Of course," he said, his voice warm and confident. "I'm starving."

Soli smiled and nodded. "Great, I'll set an extra plate," she said before closing the door behind her, leaving them alone again.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Elena turned back to Mason, her pulse still racing. "Well, that was... awkward."

Mason chuckled softly, leaning back against the bed. "Yeah, I think we've got a lot of explaining to do." His eyes softened as he met her gaze again. "But... I don't mind."

Elena bit her lip, her heart racing with a mix of excitement and nervousness. "Neither do I."

Without saying another word, Mason leaned in, this time with no interruptions, and their lips met in a soft, slow kiss—long overdue.

It felt right, natural, like the missing piece of the puzzle had finally clicked into place. Elena's heart soared, and for the first time in a long time, everything felt in perfect balance.

When they finally pulled away, both of them were breathless, smiles dancing on their faces.

"I think dinner can wait a little longer," Mason murmured, his thumb brushing over her cheek.

Elena laughed softly, still feeling the warmth of the kiss lingering on her lips. "We should probably go down before my mom thinks we're doing something else."

Mason grinned, clearly not minding the teasing, but he gave her a nod. "Yeah, guess we better," he agreed, his voice playful as he stood up. "But this... this isn't over yet, Castillo."

Elena's heart skipped again at the sound of her last name coming from his lips, and she smiled widely as they walked out of the room together, hand in hand.

— ETERNAL SUNSHINE —